The 5 Principles of Social Impact | Marian Spier | TEDxErasmusUniversityRotterdam

Summary

The speaker discusses the five principles, or 'C's, of social impact, reflecting on why some people succeed in creating change while others do not. Drawing on experiences as a manager and entrepreneur, they share insights from meeting social entrepreneurs and professionals worldwide. The speaker highlights key traits like seeking opportunities, clarity in goals, passion, an entrepreneurial mindset, and determination. By sharing stories of impactful figures such as Estee Lauder and Lex Peters, the talk emphasizes the importance of working hard to create meaningful social change beyond personal gain.

Takeaways

• 💡 Two people with the same opportunities and education can have different levels of impact due to various factors.
• 🌍 Social entrepreneurs aim to create societal change, which distinguishes them from regular entrepreneurs.
• 🚀 Opportunities are key to creating social impact, as seen with examples like Estée Lauder’s innovative sampling approach.
• 🎯 Clarity and strategy are essential for achieving social impact. Visualizing goals helps in making them a reality.
• 🌟 Passion drives success, but it is important to combine it with a strong, focused mindset, as shown by entrepreneurs like Mariama Tammy.
• 💪 Having an entrepreneurial mindset is crucial. It involves clear strategy, focus, and the ability to articulate goals effectively.
• 🛠 Perfect products alone aren’t enough. Entrepreneurs need to communicate their vision well to investors and collaborators.
• 🔍 Being considerate, determined, and purposeful in one's actions leads to meaningful social impact.
• 👩‍⚕️ Lex Peters, a retired gynecologist, exemplifies purpose-driven work by developing a simple, impactful method to prevent cervical cancer.
• 🏆 The key to social impact is working hard and focusing on improving society rather than just personal success.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the speaker's presentation?

The speaker discusses the five principles (the 'five C's') of social impact, focusing on why some individuals succeed in making a significant impact while others do not, despite having similar opportunities.

What key difference does the speaker highlight between a social entrepreneur and a regular entrepreneur?

The speaker explains that a social entrepreneur focuses on creating social impact, aiming to improve society or the community, while a regular entrepreneur may focus solely on business success and profit.

What role does clarity play in creating social impact, according to the speaker?

Clarity is essential because it involves strategizing and visualizing one's goals. The speaker gives the example of Mariama Tammy, who has a clear strategy and vision to teach coding to one million young women worldwide.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset?

An entrepreneurial mindset helps individuals focus not just on creating a perfect product but also on understanding how to achieve their goals and communicate their needs to others, such as investors or colleagues.

Can you explain the significance of being 'purposeful and meaningful' in social impact work?

Being purposeful and meaningful means aligning your actions with a clear mission to improve society. The speaker provides the example of Lex Peters, a gynecologist and oncologist, who remained dedicated to saving lives even after retirement by developing a simple method to prevent cervical cancer.

What does the speaker mean by 'don't become the menu at the table' when discussing passion and teamwork?

The speaker advises that when people aim to have a seat at the table (in decision-making), they should avoid being passive or taken advantage of, ensuring they have an active role in the discussion and decisions rather than being sidelined.

How does the speaker use Estee Lauder’s story to illustrate the concept of opportunity in social impact?

The speaker mentions Estee Lauder as an example of someone who saw an opportunity in the beauty industry by introducing product samples, a practice still used today, which allowed her to create both business and social impact.

What advice does the speaker give to career professionals, entrepreneurs, and students who want to create social impact?

The speaker advises career professionals to pursue their passion, entrepreneurs to have a plan, and students to think about where they want to be in five years, stressing the importance of having a clear direction.

What did the speaker observe as a common characteristic among people who created significant social impact?

The speaker observed that individuals who created social impact were hard-working, had a clear vision, and were motivated not just by personal success but by a desire to change society for the better.

How does the speaker conclude the presentation on social impact?

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that anyone—whether an entrepreneur, student, or professional—can create social impact by starting with just one of the five C's and working to apply it in their life.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Exploring the Principles of Social Impact

The speaker discusses why some individuals become successful social change-makers while others with the same opportunities do not. Reflecting on eight years of experience at the University of Amsterdam and extensive travel, the speaker shares insights into conversations with social entrepreneurs and professionals who seek to create impact. The discussion focuses on defining social entrepreneurship as distinct from traditional business, emphasizing a commitment to improving communities. The speaker introduces the concept of 'social impact' and begins outlining five principles (the 'five C's') that guide social change.

05:00

💡 Clarity and Strategy in Achieving Social Impact

The importance of having a clear strategy and being passionate about one's goals is discussed. The speaker highlights examples like Mariama Tammy, who teaches coding to women, emphasizing that success in social impact requires the ability to visualize and pursue long-term goals. Passion, often misunderstood as purely emotional, is framed as a driving force that must be paired with strategic action and teamwork. The speaker advises aspiring change-makers to claim a 'seat at the table' without becoming passive participants, underlining the need for an entrepreneurial mindset that is clear, determined, and adaptable.

Keywords

💡Social Impact

Social impact refers to how individuals or organizations affect their surrounding communities in meaningful ways. In the video, it’s the central theme, discussed in the context of entrepreneurs who aim to create lasting, positive changes in society beyond just profit-making. Examples include Estee Lauder's beauty product sampling and Lex Peters' work to prevent cervical cancer.

💡Social Entrepreneur

A social entrepreneur is different from a regular entrepreneur in that their primary goal is to create a positive social impact, rather than just focusing on profit. The speaker emphasizes the importance of social entrepreneurs in changing society, highlighting figures like Estee Lauder and Mariama Tammy, who used their entrepreneurial ventures to benefit their communities.

💡Opportunities

Opportunities are moments or circumstances that people can leverage to achieve their goals. In the video, the speaker discusses how successful social entrepreneurs like Estee Lauder looked for and seized opportunities, such as the beauty product sampling strategy that eventually helped Estee build her brand and impact.

💡Clarity

Clarity in this context refers to the ability to clearly visualize and strategize toward achieving a goal. It is essential for social entrepreneurs to be clear about their mission and objectives. The speaker gives the example of Mariama Tammy from Senegal, who has a clear vision of teaching 1 million young women how to code.

💡Entrepreneurial Mindset

An entrepreneurial mindset involves thinking strategically, solving problems, and being willing to take risks to achieve goals. In the video, this concept is emphasized as critical for social entrepreneurs to reach their goals. Entrepreneurs must think beyond just creating a perfect product—they need to strategize how to make an impact.

💡Passion

Passion is the strong drive and dedication toward achieving a particular goal. The speaker mentions that passion is not about being emotional but about being committed to one's purpose. This is exemplified by the cofounder of TomTom, who pursued her goals with determination and led her team in achieving success.

💡Strategy

Strategy refers to the process of planning and organizing resources to achieve long-term objectives. The speaker highlights the importance of having a clear strategy for social entrepreneurs, using the example of Mariama Tammy, who has a well-defined plan to teach coding to young women globally.

💡Determination

Determination is the relentless pursuit of one's goals, despite challenges or obstacles. Lex Peters is used as an example of someone who is determined not only to excel in his profession but to impact society by working to prevent cervical cancer, even after retirement.

💡Community

Community refers to the surrounding environment or group of people affected by an individual’s or organization’s actions. The video emphasizes that social entrepreneurs aim to create positive changes in their communities. Lex Peters’ work to prevent cervical cancer in young women worldwide is an example of positively impacting a community.

💡Five C's

The Five C's refer to the five principles of social impact that the speaker introduces in the video. These are essential guidelines for creating meaningful change in society. Though not explicitly listed in the script, the video discusses concepts such as clarity, passion, and strategy, which are likely components of these principles.

Highlights

Discussion about why two people with the same opportunities and education might have different levels of success and impact.

The speaker worked as a manager at the University of Amsterdam for eight years and discussed this issue with various professionals and students.

Transition from a university career to becoming a social entrepreneur, traveling to more than 20 countries and meeting many social entrepreneurs.

Clarification that social entrepreneurs are different from regular entrepreneurs as they aim to create social impact.

Stanford definition of social impact: how organizations or people's actions affect the surrounding community.

Five principles of social impact introduced, referred to as the 'five C's.'

Example of Estee Lauder, who after WWII, created a new way to sample beauty products, generating social and business impact.

Clarity is important for impact; having a clear strategy and visualizing goals is essential.

The story of Mariama Tammy, a Senegalese entrepreneur whose mission is to teach 1 million women to code after overcoming trafficking.

Passion is key but must be accompanied by teamwork and strategy, as explained by a co-founder of TomTom.

The concept of having a seat at the table but ensuring you don’t become the 'menu,' meaning to maintain control and influence.

Entrepreneurial mindset is critical for social impact—being able to explain goals and strategize effectively.

Perfect products alone don’t lead to success; communication of purpose is vital.

Lex Peters, a retired oncologist, used vinegar and cotton to prevent cervical cancer, showcasing purposeful determination to impact society.

The conclusion: all successful social entrepreneurs work hard and aim to change society, applying the principles of the five C’s.

Transcripts

so today I want to talk about the five

principles of social impact why is it

that two people have the same

opportunities and same education and

won't become a successful game changer

and the other one doesn't reach a level

of success or impact this question we we

discussed it many times while I was

working as a manager at the University

of Amsterdam for eight years and we were

talking about it and after that I left

University became an entrepreneur

traveling all over the world I met a lot

of social entrepreneurs and also

students career professionals who asked

me this question how can I change my

society how can I change my surroundings

how can I create impact and then I will

ask them if it is an entrepreneur I

would ask them that you have planned if

it is a career professional I would ask

them what's your passion and if it's a

student I would ask them what would you

do after five years so while I was

traveling and I met and I went to more

than 20 nations so I met a lot of people

and I wanted to share this story what I

saw and what I observed so it is so

funny because a few days ago I had a

discussion with a few entrepreneurs and

they were talking about what is a social

entrepreneur aren't you just an

entrepreneur I said no a social

entrepreneur is completely different

from a regular entrepreneur you want to

create a social impact so after somebody

said it said please explain I went back

home and I wish I research that I looked

for a good definition of course Stanford

and I said ok this is the correct

definition social impact how

organizations or people's actions

affect the surrounding community so how

can you select excuse me

how can you affect the surrounding

community Alcor how can your

organization affect the surrounding

community

well I research more and then I

discovered these five principles and

that was also nice to make it the five

C's so I will go with you through all

these five CS and explain to you what I

observed and I will share a few stories

of people I met and also it's just

stories I found by reading articles

finding stories about people who created

social impact so the first thing I

discovered is that most of the people

that created a youth social impact

looked for an opportunity they looked

out for an opportunity and one of the

persons III looked up a lot of

entrepreneurs and and career

professionals and I found one

nowadays they would call her a refugee

as still out there who started right

after World War two selling beauty

products but what she did is not just

some beauty products she started

sampling products so nowadays when you

buy a beauty product and it's a sample

it was an idea by Estee Lauder

she created an impact a business impact

and she became also a successful

entrepreneur also helping other female

entrepreneurs the other thing I

explained most of the time when people

say I want to change I want to

breakthrough I said clarity is very

important you have to strategize you

have to look where for where am I going

visualize your goals I know an attack

entrepreneur by

Mariama Tammy she's from Senegal she was

trafficked to France and now her goal is

to reach 1 million young women all over

the world to teach them how to code and

her everything about her is how to reach

that goal she travels all of the world

we discuss it many times she has a clear

strategy she can visualize it she can

explain it have passion for what you do

so a lot of people think that when

you're passionate that you're an

emotional that's not true I spoke to one

of the cofounders of TomTom a female

entrepreneur who said I go for what I

want and I don't do it alone I do it

with my team and I make sure that I sit

at the table there's a lot a lot of

people are talking about seat at the

table but she said when you have a seat

at a table it is very important not to

become the menu at a table which was for

me really an eye-opener because a lot of

time with all our passion we want to

have a seat at the table and what you

want to achieve change the world or

change your surrounding but be careful

not to become the menu you need to have

an entrepreneurial mindset you need to

be ready I could I organized a startup

award for young entrepreneurs and you

can see that they want to they're so

focused on creating a perfect product

but a perfect product is not enough you

need to have entrepreneurial mindset how

will you reach that goal

strategize is it clear what do you want

a lot of time people create beautiful

products but they cannot explain to an

investor or even to their colleague what

they really want or what they really

need so you need to have an entrepreneur

mindset the last one is be considerate

and determined that is something that I

observed also be purposeful and

meaningful in everything you do

Lex Peters is a as a gynecologist and

oncologist I've known for many years

he's even retired now and what was so an

eye-opener for me is that he told me for

40 years I go to my job full of joy

I was like oh no I am not that kind of

person that's amazing but after his

retirement he even went further he

didn't he wasn't not just a professor

after that he wanted to save especially

young woman's life and what he did is he

discovered that with vinegar and with a

piece of cotton you can save a young

woman's life so that she will not you

can prevent cervical cancer and for me

it was this is somebody who is almost 17

years old

but so determined and not just

determined to make a lot of money which

is also good but really to impact his

society and its surroundings not just in

the Netherlands but also in the world

so in conclusion a lot of times people

want to create social impact and what

I've seen I've talked about these five

C's is that most of the all these people

they work very hard that is one thing

they all do but it is also not about

them they want to change their society

so if you're here and you're an

entrepreneur or maybe a student are

career professional you can start by

changing and applying one

see thank you

[Applause]